¹ The word Sapjil, literally to dig with a shovel, is widely used to describe useless work. When opponents of the Sadaegang project say, “Stop Sapjil” they use it to refer to “extra-structure” i.e., the construction of public works for their own sake without reference to social and economic need.

² For details of Korea's Grand Canal project, see this link. All links in the article to Korean texts.

³ “How does Lee Myung-bak's Kyungbu canal break through the obstacle of public opinion?” BreakNews October 10, 2005. (link)

⁴ See homepage of the Korean Grand Canal and water way forum.

⁵ Many Koreans see the future and effects of the Grand Canal project through the Gyeong-In (Seoul-Incheon) canal. Work on the Gyeong-In canal began in 1995, but was several times suspended for reasons of economic inefficiency and environmental degradation. It recommenced under Lee Myung-bak in March 2009 and is to be completed by 2011. The name of the canal was changed to Gyeon-In Ara Batgil (or Seoul-Inchon Ara Waterway) in May 2009). See details here.

⁶ Weekly Opinion No. 53, Korea Society Opinion Institute, 11 November 2009. Link.

⁷ Financial Times, 4 August 2011. (link)

⁸ See details, Jaeang u Mulkil, Hanbando Daeunha (The waterway of Disaster: The Korea Peninsula Grand Canal), KFEM et.al, Seoul, Doyosae, 2008.

⁹ Candle light demonstrations started by high school girls in Seoul became a nation-wide movement involving more than one million people. The main issues included beef imports and the privatization of public firms and the Grand Canal project.

¹⁰ “Please remember June 10, Kwanghwamoon ‘candlelight’ and morning dew'” OhmyNews, June 19, 2008 (link)

¹¹ On the latter, see this link. For details of the 65 day candlelight demonstrations from May 2 to July 5 2008, see Candlelight, the 65 days record (2008. Kyunghyang Sinmunsa.Seoul).

¹² “Judge Yu, Minerva not guilty, dismisses violation of the constitution,” OhmyNews, April 20, 2009 (link)

¹³ For details, “Mission to the Republic of Korea, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of rights to freedom of opinion and expression, UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council, 17^th Session, 21 March 2011, A/HRC/17/27/Add.2.

¹⁴ In the 295-seat National Assembly as of October 2011, the GNP had 168 seats, the Democratic Party 87, Independent 4, other small parties 36 members.

¹⁵ The current president of KBS was a special assistant for mass media to the Lee presidential campaign.

¹⁶ In 2009, four producers and one scriptwriter from the MBC's investigative programme, PD Notebook, who had reported on the alleged risk of mad cow disease associated with the import of beef from the US and criticized officials in charge of the trade negotiations were arrested and charged with defaming officials of the Ministry of Agriculture. When all were acquitted by the Seoul district court in January 2010, the Prosecutor's Office appealed, and when that appeal was in turn dismissed by the same court on 2 February 2010, a further appeal was launched, this time to the Supreme Court. (For details, Report of the Special Rapporteur, op. cit.)

¹⁷ The Foundation for Broadcast Culture was founded in 1988 in accordance with the “The Foundation for Broadcast Culture” law as a non-profit organization. See details here.

¹⁸ According to Weekly Kyunghyang (No. 862, 29 February 2010), journalists responding to this survey pointed out frequent government guidelines for media reporting on key government policies such as the construction of Sejong city, the import of beef from the US, and accusations against producers of the MBC program which disclosed problems concerning beef imports.

¹⁹ “Reappearance of controlled media, from indirect regent to direct intervention,” Kyunghyang Daily 23 February 2010. (link)

²⁰ Government official homepage of ‘Four rivers green Korea’, (Accessed 7 October 2011).

²¹ For details, see Park Chang Geun (2009).

²² “Four rivers ground breaking ceremony, public opinion beating,” The Hankyoreh November 22, 2009 (link)

²³ “Four major rivers project as anti-rule of law, should be judged” Ohmynews, November 26, 2009 (link)

²⁴ “Discovery of waste illegally buried in Nakdong river, again” Ohmynews October 10, 2010 (link)

²⁵ “Huge buried industrial waste, is a drinking water disaster coming to Busan?” Ohmynews October 15, 2010 (link)

²⁶ “Deposit soil of Dal-seong weir, critical level of cadmium leads to itai-itai disease” Ohmynews April 20, 2010 (link)

²⁷ For details “Namji railroad in danger of collapse caused by pier sinking” Ohmynews August 26, 2011 (link)

²⁸ “Local residents' fury at the collapse of the Waegwan railroad bridge” June 26 2011 (link)

²⁹ “Namji railroad in danger of collapse caused by pier sinking” Ohmynews August 26, 2011 (link)

³⁰ Interview with Ohmynews reporter on February 15, 2011 (link).

³¹ For details, “Special effect from four rivers project? Construction workers with payment in arrears and who are deeply in debt” Pressian, February 8 2011 (link) and “Blast from four river project turnkey bidding, two trillion has been disappeared” Pressian, February 15 2011 (link)

³² “28.8 billion won disappeared in construction site 24 of Nakdong river,” Ohmynews February 17 2011 (link). For a full report on “Analysis on manpower and machinery for the four river project” see this link.

³³ “Four rivers project in final stretch” Taegu Ilbo August 19, 2011. (link)

³⁴ The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is a ministerial-level central administrative organization under the authority of the Prime Minister which also functions as a quasi-judicial body. It formulates and administers competitive policies and handles antitrust cases. (from KFTC homepage).

³⁵ “Four rivers project gave 4.3 trillion won to top ten construction companies” October 11, 2009. Ohmynews. (link)

³⁶ During the past 10 years, only 3.6 percent of total flood damage occurred along the four major rivers (Jung-wk Kim, 2010, Na-neun Bandaehanda (I Do Object: Report on truth of four rivers construction work), Seoul, Neurin Geolum, p.54.

³⁷ Source: Jung-wok Kim, ibid, p.55.

³⁸ Saemangeum Reclamation Project is to transform tidal flats to 40,100ha (land: 28,300ha freshwater lake:11,800ha) with construction of 33 kms of sea dike in Jeollabukdo, in the south-west. Beginning in 1991, the dike was completed in 2009 despite fierce opposition from local villagers and civil society. As of 2011 the estimated total budget of the project, scheduled for completion in 2020, was about 4.17 trillion won. See this link.

³⁹ Korean Federation for Environment Movements, link.